Means for handling baggage.



Patented July 30, 19m. A. H. LOWE.

MEANS FOR HANDLING BAGGAGE.

(Application filed Nov. 23, 1899.)

Eli-Lhasa e5;

- 1 H. LOWE 5H9:

"m: uunms PETERS w, Pnofourna. wwmcrou. b. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFIGE.

ARTHUR H. LOlVE, OF FITCHBURG, MASSACHUSETTS.

MEANS FOR HANDLING BAGGAGE.

SPEGIFIQATIQN forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 679,567, dated July30, 1901. Application filed November 23, 1899. Serial No. 738,045. (Nomodel.)

T0 ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that LARTHUR H. LOWE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Fitchburg, in the county of W'orcesterand State ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and useful Means for HandlingBaggage, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my present invention is to facilitate the loading andunloading of baggage; and the especial object which I desire toaccomplish is to provide an apparatus for handling baggage which isespecially designed for saving the expense and time now required forputting off and taking 011 baggage on express-trains.

To this end my invention consists of the features of construction andcombinations of parts, as hereinafter described, and more particularlypointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the accompanying drawing the figure is a perspective viewillustrating an apparatus for handling baggage constructed according tomy invention and showing the manner in which the same is used.

The length of time that a through expresstrain stops at intermediatepoints on its route is usually controlled by the length of time requiredfor loading and unloading the baggage from the baggage-car. As a generalrule the transferof baggage at a railroad-station takes a much longertime than is required for the transfer of passengers, for watering orrecoaling the engine, or the other necessary incidents of a stop at anintermediate station. This is now so well recognized by railroadofficials that on nearly all railroads the practice has been adopted ofrunning limited trains where a quick runningtime is desired. ()n theselimited trains the passengers are allowed to carry onlya limited amountof baggage; but even in operating the trains on which the amount ofbaggage allowed to each passenger is strictly limited it has still beenfound in practice that much time is necessarily wasted in the transferof baggage at each intermediate stopping-point. In loading and unloadingbaggage-cars in the ordinary way each individual piece of baggage to beput off or taken on is separately handled, and as the amount of baggageto be transferred at different stations necessarily varies from day todayit is impossible to calculate in advance how much time will berequired for the transfer of baggage at any one station. On someoccasions,where the amount of baggage carried is comparativelysmall,express-trains would be easily able to run ahead of their scheduletime; but in other instances, where the baggage is unusually bulky orheavy, the transfer of such baggage at the stations requires so muchtime as to prevent the making of schedule time and seriously interferewith the operation of the entire railroad system.

The especial object of my present inven-' tion is to provide an improvedapparatus for loading and unloading baggage which will not require theseparate handling of each indi vidual piece of baggage, which willpermit all baggage which is to be loaded into the car to be pushed intothe car at a single op eration, and which will permit all baggage whichis to be put 01? of a car also to be drawn out of the car at a singleoperation. To accomplish this object, I employ movable baggage carriersor crates which preferably have sufficient capacity to hold all baggageto be loaded on at any one station, and I combine the baggage carriersor crates with a truck which can be moved to position along the side ofa car and preferably secured thereto, so that the transverse tracks orways of the truck will register with the tracks or ways extending insidethe car and with those on the skid or movable piece which may beemployed for connecting the car with the truck, so that a loadedbaggage-carrier containing the baggage to be put on the car maybe pushedinto the car at a single operation and a baggagecarrier from inside thecar containing the baggage to be put off may be drawn out at a singleoperation. This transfer of a considerable quantity of baggage at asingle operation may be accomplished so speedily that expresspassenger-trains may be operated on shorter schedule times and thebaggage transferred with less labor than where each individ ual piece ofbaggage is handled. The truck employed is preferably provided withtracks or ways, and the baggage-carriers are or ranged to run on thetracks or ways, being provided with wheels for this purpose, although,if preferred, the baggage-carriers may simply slide on the trackswithout being provided with wheels. Side stops are used to hold thebaggage-carriers in place upon the truck, and suitable catches or looksare employed to fasten the truck in the desired position at the side ofthe car, so that the tracks or ways thereon will register with thetracks or ways of a short skid or plank carried by the car and withtracks or ways in the car.

Referring to the accompanying drawing and in detail, Tdesignates atruck, which may be of substantially the same construct-ion as anordinary baggage-truck except that the same is preferably madeconsiderably wider. The truckT is provided with transverse ways ortracks 10, and mounted to run on the tracks or ways 10 are baggagecarriers or crates C. A plurality of baggage-carriers G is preferablyemployed in connection with each truck, two of such baggage-carriersbeing illustrated herein. The baggage-carriers C have casters or wheelsrunning on the tracks 10, and to hold the baggage-carriers in place onthe truck I preferably employ removable side stops or stakes 11. Anyordinary form of looking device may be employed for, fastening the truckin its desired position alongside the car. For example, the truck T maybe provided with a latch 12, which may engage eyebolts 13in the side ofthe car. Connecting planks or skids having tracks for registering withthe tracks or ways of the truck T and with tracks in the car may beswung out, for example, on hinges from the doorway of the car, and aloaded baggage-carrier C may then be readily pushed into or drawn out ofthe car, as desired. The baggage-carriers C are preferably of a lengthsomewhat less than the width of an ordinary baggage-car, so as to leavea passage-Way between the ends of the baggage-carriers and the sides ofthe car.

' After a baggage-carrier has been pushed into the baggage-car itswheels may be blocked or it may be locked in place in any desired way toprevent the same from shifting while the train is in motion.

I am aware that changes may be made in my apparatus for transferringbaggage, and I do not desire to be limited to the particular arrangementwhich I have herein shown and described; but

That I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is

1. In an apparatus for handling baggage, the combination of a truckmounted on wheels and having tracks or ways, a baggage-carrier mountedon the tracks or ways of said truck, and means for locking the truck toa railwaycar in such position that the tracks or ways on the truck willregister with the tracks or ways in the ear, whereby continuous trackswill be provided for pushing a baggage-carrier from the truck into therailway-car, or for pushing a baggage-carrier from the railway-car ontothe truck, substantially as described.

2. Inan apparatus for handling baggage, the combination'of a truckmounted on wheels and having tracks or ways extending transverselyacross the same, a baggage-carrier having wheels mounted to run on saidtracks, and means for locking the truck toa railwaycar in such positionthat the tracks or ways on the truck will register with the tracks orways in the railway-car, whereby continuous tracks are provided forpushing a baggagecarrier from the truck into the railway-car, or forpushing a baggage-carrier from the railway-car onto the truck,substantially as described.

3. In an apparatus for handling baggage, the combination of a truck Tmounted to run on wheels and having tracks or ways 10 extendingtransversely across the top of the truck, a baggage-carrier 0 havingWheels for running on the tracks 10, hooks 12 for securing the truck tothe side of a baggage-car, so that the tracks of said truck willregister with tracks in the car, and a plank or skid for bridging thespace between the truck and the car, said plank having trackscorresponding with the tracks of said truck, whereby a continuous trackmay be provided for pushing a baggage-carrier from the truck into thecar, and for pushing a baggage-carrier from the car onto the truck,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

ARTHUR H. LOWE.

\Vitnesses:

PHILIP W. SOUTHGATE, LoUIs W. SOUTHGATE.

